Cooking with LPG is easier and faster than with a normal electric hob. And with it, there are a few basic rules you have to follow to make energy use as efficient and economical as possible. Here are some useful tips for saving gas when cooking.
Cook at the right temperature. There is no need of turning the burner up all the way anytime you need to heat something. Instead, try to only use as much heat as necessary to reheat or cook your food through. Anything beyond the minimally required temperature will be a waste.
- Water, for example, boils at 212 °F (100 °C). Once it’s boiling, leaving the cooktop on full blast won’t make it any hotter—it will only use up more gas.
- When cooking from a recipe, always follow the instructions to a T. Most recipes specify what level of heat to use (“low,” “medium,” “medium-high,” “high,” etc.).
Make sure the pot or pan is covering the flames completely. If you can see the flames licking the sides of the pan, it means the stove is turned up too high. Lower the temperature until the flames are confined to the bottom surface of the pan. Otherwise, their heat will escape into the surrounding environment. The flame from a gas appliance burner MUST BE BLUE.
Keep your stove’s burners clean to ensure that they’re working properly. To clean your burners, first, make sure they’re off and cool to the touch. Then, remove the protective grates and wipe away any lingering debris with a damp paper towel. Finally, scrub the area around the burners with soapy water until they’re completely free of residue.
Invest in high-quality cookware. Materials like copper, stainless steel, and are extremely conductive, which allows them to heat up faster and distribute heat more evenly. Similarly, cast iron and ceramic do a great job of retaining heat longer, meaning you won’t have to leave the stove on to simmer sauces or keep finished dishes warm.
Have all your ingredients ready to go prior to cooking. Make sure everything is chopped, peeled, thawed, seasoned, marinated and basted before you ever turn on the stove. That way, you won’t be burning gas while you finish prepping the various components of your meal.
More useful tips can be found on WikiHow, and the tried-and-tested V-Gas recipes are here.
